title: Separation and quantitation of the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor D,L-alpha-difluoromethylarginine and other guanidine-containing compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography.
abstract: The arginine decarboxylase inhibitor difluoromethylarginine (DFMA) is an important tool in the study of polyamine metabolism, particularly with respect to the human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi. This paper demonstrates a unique method for the detection and quantitation of intracellular DFMA using the fluorogenic agent 9,10-phenanthrenequinone. After separation of cell extracts by HPLC, DFMA can be accurately and reproducibly quantified with a lower sensitivity limit of 0.1 nmol by this simple fluorometric method. This assay can also be used to detect other guanidine-containing compounds such as arginine, agmatine, creatinine, and hirudonine, but not substituted guanidines such as aminoguanidine and creatine, or the structurally related amidines such as benzamidine and pentamidine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Fairlamb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003421:Crithidia / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D019791:Guanidine; D006146:Guanidines / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006146:Guanidines; C030965:alpha-(difluoromethyl)arginine; D001120:Arginine; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases; C019722:arginine decarboxylase; D019791:Guanidine